Chapter 490 Jade Beauty Tea Ceremony
"Grandpa's letter?"
At the entrance of a boudoir in Jingyiting, Qin Ying, dressed in a traditional Hu-style outfit, was stopped by a burly man in black who looked travel-worn.
The man stood with impeccable posture, his head bound with a black headband, giving him a somewhat military air. He spoke in a measured and formal manner:
"The marshal said that the letter must be delivered to the young lady so that she can make her own decision."
"What's up?"
The burly man in black shook his head.
Qin Ying looked at the rather familiar face and vaguely remembered that it was one of the guards by her grandfather's side. After checking the token proving her identity, she accepted the envelope.
The burly man in black turned and left.
Qin Ying returned to her study, opened the envelope, and examined it with curiosity.
The expression on his face gradually disappeared; his brows furrowed and then relaxed.
After much deliberation, she stood up and went out.
Qin Ying went to Xie Lingjiang's boudoir to look for someone.
However, upon arriving at the destination, they found no trace of him.
I wonder where Sister Xie went. There's only a hot spring in the courtyard with the sound of trickling water.
Qin Ying turned and left.
On a vacant lot next to an artificial hill not far from Xie Lingjiang's boudoir, some large white geese were raised.
During the Great Zhou Dynasty, geese were considered elegant creatures, and aristocratic families would raise them for amusement.
However, when Qin Ying passed by, she noticed that some of the geese had sparse feathers and were almost bald, their baldness on the verge of extinction.
Yesterday, she asked Sister Xie out of curiosity. Sister Xie looked at her strangely and then explained that it seemed to be something Young Master Ouyang did when he was bored. He said that he liked to tease the white goose and pluck its feathers.
No wonder that recently, when Young Master Ouyang came to see Xie Lingjiang several times, Qin Ying would sometimes pass by and hear the sound of white geese running around from a distance, along with some strange murmurs, saying something like "the arrival of the Ink Fairy." At the time, she thought it was just some female page or something similar playing around with Young Master Ouyang.
I never expected that Young Master Ouyang would have a habit of plucking goose feathers.
Qin Ying smiled and shook her head, then turned and went back to her study.
Looking at the somewhat troublesome letter in her hand, she pondered for a moment, walked to the bookshelf, opened the wooden box, and took out a purple sachet.
She made two coins. She gave one to Li Dalang, and the other was originally intended for someone else, but later she discovered that the person seemed to have nothing at all.
Qin Ying didn't have many thoughts about it; instead, she felt a sense of blessing for Sister Xie and Ouyang Lianghan.
Sister Xie really likes him.
Of course, it would be a lie to say that she wasn't envious at all.
As for Li Dalang... he's quite honest.
Although Qin Ying was a quiet, reserved person when they went shopping or hunting together, she didn't dislike her.
Looking around from all angles isn't necessarily a bad thing.
As for the matter that Grandpa mentioned in his letter today...
Qin Ying looked down at the envelope.
She then went to put the sachet away again.
Immediately afterwards, she changed out of the traditional Hu-style clothing she had worn during the afternoon's autumn hunt, then went to her desk, sat down, and took out paper, ink, brush, and inkstone.
He bit his pen and silently wrote a reply.
...
"What did Miss Qin say?"
Yunshui Pavilion, third floor.
As soon as Li Dalang entered and sat down, Ouyang Rong couldn't wait to ask.
"Why is my love urging me so much..."
Li Dalang, who had entered with a smile, now looked somewhat resentful.
"Ahem, alright, have some tea."
Ouyang Rong poured Li Dalang a cup of tea.
Last time, I sent Li Dalang to Qin Ying to inquire about Qin Jingzhen's attitude, as well as whether the Wei family had any plans for a marriage alliance.
Today, Ouyang Rong and Li Dalang met at Yunshui Pavilion for tea to discuss this matter.
Fortunately, thanks to Ouyang Rong's excuse, Li Dalang was able to leave the Prince's Mansion openly and temporarily escape the nagging of Li Xian and Wei Mei.
However, Ouyang Rong came here to find out the details of the marriage alliance between the Qin and Wei families, while Li Dalang came here with great interest to actually drink tea. In his words, he had been holding back for too long.
Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang have been busy lately, so the three of them haven't had time to meet up.
Even today, Yan Liulang doesn't have time to come. And if he's alone, it won't be enough of an excuse for Li Dalang to leave the manor...
Ouyang Rong knew exactly what his friend was thinking, especially the winking and smirking he made when they entered the private room. He had completely picked up Yan Liulang's bad habits.
Why can't Dalang learn from his upright character?
After pouring the tea, Ouyang Rong sighed and gave some instructions:
"Brother, I know you don't like going on blind dates with Miss Qin, but be careful not to get caught. It would not only be disrespectful to her, but it would also disappoint... disappoint the Prince and Princess."
"No, Qin Ying went hunting this morning. She's been going quite often these past few days. I don't know how to hunt, and going would only cause me trouble. She probably knows that and didn't insist."
Ouyang Rong hesitated, wanting to teach him something, but swallowed the words back.
Just as Li Dalang said before, he didn't like women like Qin Xiaoniangzi who held a dominant position, because his mother and sister were that type, and he had had enough of them.
"As for my father and mother, Tanlang wouldn't tell on them, would he?"
Li Dalang stared longingly at someone.
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"Just make sure you know what's appropriate."
Li Dalang sighed:
“My love, I’m already so old, in my mid-twenties, and in a few more years I’ll be thirty. I should be taking a concubine by now.”
"But my father and mother didn't arrange any of these things for me because of the blind date. They didn't mention it at all and told me to focus on pleasing Qin Ying."
“Now, my titles of Prefect of Jiangzhou and Heir Apparent of the Prince of Xunyang seem prestigious, but it’s like I’ve done it all for nothing. I’m not free at all, and I don’t even have it as easy as Liu Lang. At least he doesn’t have to be nagged by his family, and he’s already a seventh-rank official who is more powerful than his father’s generation.”
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips:
"This is a responsibility, the responsibility of the eldest son, the responsibility of the heir apparent of Xunyang."
Li Dalang bowed his head:
"Yes, Tanlang, I realized long ago that everything I have gained, including my privileged life, comes from the bloodline given to me by my father and mother. This bloodline of Emperor Taizong also means that while I enjoy honor, I must also bear responsibilities and obligations to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion."
He muttered a few words to himself, then looked up, very seriously:
"But I'm still not reconciled. I envy the mutual attraction between Tanlang and Xie Xiaoniangzi."
"Unwilling to listen to my parents, I immediately decided on the person I would spend the rest of my life with."
"Actually, it's not that I can't be like my father, marrying first and then falling in love, loving only my mother for a lifetime. I can do it too, and treat my wife honestly."
"But Father wasn't like me before. He was very carefree in Chang'an when he was young. He also took concubines and experienced a lot. Only after he knew what he wanted did he honestly marry his first wife."
“My dear, I’ve been thinking about this these past few days. If I were to marry Miss Qin right now, my life would be one that I can see the end of and predict at a glance.”
"Let me reiterate, I'm not being dishonest, I'm just a little unwilling to spend my whole life with people I neither like nor dislike... This feeling is just as dull and tasteless as when I was buried in my studies in Longcheng. Now that I've finally left Longcheng, why can't I pursue something more free?"
Ouyang Rong said sternly, "Don't give me that long-winded speech. Just tell me, what do you want to do?"
What is a short essay?
Li Dalang muttered curiously, then quickly explained:
"I don't want to do anything, I just want to take it slow and not get married so soon..."
"Hey, I can't stand being in the Prince's mansion for even a second longer. If it weren't for places like Yunshui Pavilion where I can relax, and for Tanlang and Liulang to keep me company, I might have run away from home and wandered the world one day."
Seeing Ouyang Rong's expression turn serious, he quickly waved his hand:
"Just kidding, let's not talk about this."
"By the way, you asked about the Wei family, right? I subtly inquired with Qin Ying, and according to her, the Qin family currently does not have any men of suitable age for marriage. She is quite certain of this."
"In addition, she denied that the Wei family had contacted the Qin family, and instead earnestly told me not to overthink it. She probably thought I was asking because I was suspicious and insecure."
"That's good."
Ouyang Rong breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Seeing that the important matters had been discussed to a standstill, Li Dalang immediately looked around and then asked with great interest:
"My love, do you know that Yunshui Pavilion recently launched a new health-preserving tea ceremony called 'Jade Beauty'? Listen to that, what a short and direct name."
"Are you drinking tea, or are you drinking a person?"
"Can't we drink it all?"
Ouyang Rong sighed, unable to help but complain:
"The owner of Yunshui Pavilion should stop running a restaurant and start a brothel instead. A respectable place is becoming more and more outrageous. The building is nicely decorated. It would be so much better if it were just a teahouse. It would be one of the best in Xunyang City. Why does it have to do this?"
"My dear, cough cough, I think this is quite good. He appears proper on the surface, but is not proper on the inside."
Li Dalang said happily, "We've really broadened our horizons."
"Making something unserious within a serious context, I guess only you would like this kind of thing."
Ouyang Rong shook his head speechlessly.
Li Dalang smiled sheepishly, then offered a thoughtful suggestion:
“My lord, why don’t you give it a try? This ‘Jade Beauty’ is the highest-level tea ceremony in this building. Currently, only two tea masters can perform it… They can discuss the art of tea ceremony, and they are always served in the two best private rooms on this floor, one is the Heavenly Class Room and the other is the Earthly Class Room.”
Li Dalang said with great relish:
"Tanlang, do you know how to address them when drinking tea?"
"Haha, you have to use respectful terms, like 'Miss Lady' or 'Ms. Lady,' whatever feels right. This tone, tsk tsk, how come they understand men so well?"
"..."
Ouyang Rong was rendered silent, unsure of what to say.
Li Dalang lowered his voice and whispered:
"My dear, I just went upstairs and reserved a private room with the 'earth' tier. I wanted to save the 'heaven' tier for you. Shall we go together? It's a new thing, I heard it's a trend that came from the Qinhuai River area of Nanjing. Want to try it out?"
Ouyang Rong knew exactly what this thing was, and shook his head:
"Go find Liu Lang, I don't want him anymore, I'm purely in love."
What is pure love?
"A person who is pure-hearted and locks away love."
Li Dalang, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, said very seriously:
"Then I am also a person of pure love."
"No, you are utterly despicable."
Li Dalang shook his head vigorously:
"My love is pure, but my beloved doesn't understand. True pure love is about emerging from the mud unsullied. I will first enter the mud, and then emerge unsullied. This is called washing away the impurities."
"Don't use those words, you're offending my ears," Ouyang Rong warned seriously.
Li Dalang coughed twice:
"My tea room is ready, I think the tea master has arrived, I'll be going now..."
"Wait, don't go yet."
Ouyang Rong pulled his friend aside and asked seriously:
“Tell me Qin Xiao Niangzi’s reply in more detail…”
Li Dalang could only nod helplessly and continue speaking.
...
"Make room in your Yunshui Pavilion's two best private rooms; my master wants to invite our distinguished guests for tea."
At that moment, downstairs in front of the counter in the lobby, a cold-looking man wearing a hat slammed a bag of silver onto the table.
He raised his hand to press down the brim of his hat, covering his somewhat conspicuous Xianbei features.
Meanwhile, in the alley behind Yunshui Pavilion, two ordinary carriages were quietly parked.
The carriage remained motionless, and no one disembarked, seemingly waiting for something, keeping a very low profile.
Passersby probably wouldn't even notice.
Inside the building.
"The two best rooms?" The fat shopkeeper hesitated. "But one room has already been reserved."
He turned to look at the water clock, his face showing reluctance:
"It's not time for the VIP room yet, and the girls need to rest a bit, so why don't we wait a bit..."
Thump—!
A heavy bag, seemingly filled with bricks, was slammed onto the table.
The fat shopkeeper was taken aback and looked at the calm face under the man's unassuming hat brim.
Without saying a word, he turned and went upstairs.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the No. 1 private room, the chubby manager glanced at the "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the door.
This is a rule on the third floor of Yunshui Pavilion: private rooms with guests will have signs hanging up to prevent accidental entry.
He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously pushed open the door.
"Honorable guest, I'm so sorry, so sorry, today's expenses are on the house...wait, where is everyone?"
The chubby shopkeeper looked around curiously.
He summoned a voluptuous woman dressed in revealing tea ceremony attire, who clearly sweated profusely:
"Where are the guests in the Earth-class private room? Qiuyue, isn't this the room you're in?"
"I don't know, they haven't come for half an hour." The top tea master named Qiuyue shook her head.
The chubby shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, then his face lit up with delight as he took down the "Do Not Disturb" sign from the door of the No. 1 private room.
Then, it happily ran downstairs...
About half an hour later.
"Alright, alright, I understand, Tanlang. Have some tea, and go home on your own later. I won't see you off. Cough cough, I'm busy now."
Li Dalang came out of Ouyang Rong's private room, wiped his sweat, as if finally relieved, rubbed his hands, and walked back to his own private room.
Upon arriving at the door, he glanced at the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the doorman's booth, then turned to look at the next room, where he saw that the top-tier private room also had its door tightly closed and a "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on it.
"This business is really booming, considering how expensive it is. It's a real shame that Tanlang didn't come; it's letting someone else have it."
Li Dalang shook his head, then calmly pushed open the door and entered.
It felt like being back on home turf; I knew the way like the back of my hand, and I even walked with my back straight.
He had barely entered the door when he casually gave his orders:
"Young lady, quickly pour me some tea, I'm dying of thirst from talking too much..."
"Um, why is the young lady wearing so many clothes? Oh, I see, her taste is impeccable, no wonder she's called 'Jade Beauty'."
"Okay...okay, thank you for the compliment, young master."
The woman inside paused for a moment, then spoke softly.
(End of this chapter)
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